Tips on How to Protect Your Heating Oil from Fuel Thieves

As the weather gets colder and the host of heating oil rises,
fuel tanks become more of a target for thieves. Not only does
your fuel tank have a significant financial value for you, but it
also has a strong psychological one as well as this is the source
of heat for your family home. Therefore it makes sense to
take steps to protect your heating oil from potential theft.

While there is no guarantee that your fuel will not be stolen,
following these tips will help make your fuel tank less of a
target.

Use a good quality padlock

A fuel thief is going to be prepared when he/she comes to attack
your fuel tank and carry a range of tools. In order to thwart
the thief, you need to have a good quality lock. Moorland
Fuels recommends close shackle padlocks as they offer the best
resistance to bolt croppers (which according to police is one of
the most popular burglar tools). Close shackle padlocks have very
little of the metal hoop (shackle) exposed, making it difficult for
bolt croppers to cut through the hoop.

Plants can form a defensive barrier

Use Mother Nature as your crime-fighting partner. Thieves
will not want to climb through or over prickly hedges or shrubs
because any torn clothing or blood can help identify them to the
police. Shrubs such as blackthorn, firethorn and even roses
are great to plant around your tank as they are very thorny and can
provide a very effective and pretty, deterrent to thieves.
Just make sure you leave some access for your oil delivery
driver.

Build Fort Knox

Fences and walls around your tank can also give significant
protection to your fuel tank, but just remember your driver will
still need to access the tank.

Light it
up

Security lights make any property a much harder target for would
be thieves. While the brighter the better approach may be the best
deterrent for thieves, it probably won’t make you very
popular with your neighbours. Low energy ‘dusk till
dawn’ lights installed next to the tank should provide enough
activity to highlight any suspicious activity. Of course
motion-activated lights are a great security investment.

Location. Location. Location

While this tip doesn’t help you with your existing tank,
should you need to move your tank for any reason the location of
your tank can make a huge difference in the eyes of a thief.
Tanks that are closer to the house, with one or more windows
overlooking it, pose a more difficult prospect for a thief than a
tank located behind a garage, shed or next to a road. While
your tank will still need to be accessed from the road by your fuel
supplier, you can find a balance that not only keeps your fuel
safe, but keeps your driver happy too.

If you need any help regarding your fuel tank, please give
Moorland Fuels a call on 01837 55700. We provide tank
replacements and installations and can advise on the best place to
locate a new tank.

About Moorland Fuels

Moorland Fuels was formed more than 15 years ago. The company
started by supplying lubricants throughout the South West.
Moorland Fuels is still a family-run business. Our reputation
has been built by our team of dedicated drivers and staff. We
all believe in what we do, and this can be seen in our commitment
to excellent service, which gives us the edge over our
competitors.

We are a fully independent distributor sourcing
heating oil, gas oil and derv at the most competitive price to
industry, farming and the home. We run all our own vehicles,
both for fuels and lubricants, from our depot in Okehampton, Devon
and keep an extensive stock to meet all our customers’
demands. This gives us the flexibility to provide a fast, efficient
and professional service to our customers. We also do tank
replacements, coal and boiler servicing.